Bodies Recovered From American Falls Reservoir

Search and rescue crews from Bingham, Bonneville and Power counties have recovered the bodies of four Pocatello men missing since Sunday in American Falls Reservoir.

Crews found the bodies around 7:30 p.m. Monday.

The men had been boating at the reservoir Sunday, when one man was pushed into the water as a joke. According to the Power County sheriff, that man couldn’t swim. The other three men jumped in after him, and all four drowned. Their names are: Darrel Leroy Shappart, Jr., 57, Jared Alan Hale, 26, Aaron Jeff Hale, 30 and Stephen Jacob Verbeck, 30. All the men were from Pocatello.

Still aboard the boat, several children between the ages of two and nine were able to call 911 for help.

Sonar equipment from the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office was being used to help in the search. It helped crews see up to 120 feet deep. Visibility in the area was very poor, crews said. Without the sonar, they could only see about 3-5 feet, but the water depth is 45 feet.

Six boats, several wave runners and divers joined in the search as well as an Army helicopter that completed fly-overs this morning.